Cooking appliances, and in particular electric cooking/grilling devices such as griddles, are known. One type of known grilling devices typically evidences a lower housing having a lower cooking surface and an upper housing having an upper cooking surface, wherein the cooking surfaces are typically heated by an electrical resistance heater. A handle attached to the upper housing allows a user to raise and lower the upper housing relative to the lower housing to accommodate a food item therebetween to be heated.
While existing grilling devices are generally suitable for what is regarded as ordinary performance, there is room for improvement in terms of expanded functionality. In particular, existing devices are typically limited to a one or two types of cooking that can be accomplished, for example single or double sided grilling. Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking appliance that allows for expanded use.